The end is near! 😃 I’m 37-weeks pregnant and my baby has dropped deep into the pelvis with head engaged – hello lightning crotch! Unfortunately he’s still taking up so much space in my belly that whenever I lean forward I vomit a bit in my mouth (yay). But I’m feeling excited – he’ll be here soon! Of course “soon” could be anything from the next 24-hours to the next four weeks, but that’s still soon(-ish).
I had my last growth scan last week and a midwife appointment on New Year’s Eve. Everything would seem to be very well with our boy. The weight estimate they gave me was 2.675kg which is nicely in the middle of the growth charts (doctors love statistical averages) which would mean he’s already bigger than Maia at birth. Who knows but I definitely feel as heavily pregnant as I did on my last days with her!
The placenta continues to be high and anterior and the baby has been dropping lower and lower. I remember the feeling from my last pregnancy. As the baby’s head engaged I started getting these flashes of pain in the pelvis when either the baby or I move – ouch! It’s so unfair that the baby bump looks so cute in the third trimester but just feels so uncomfortable. Still, I know I’ll miss it when it’s gone… Maybe.
All of the blood works from last round of tests came back fine, my iron levels have actually gone up even higher (to 144) which apparently is pretty unusual in late pregnancy considering I’m not taking any supplements. The midwife checked my blood pressure and urine and everything was fine. The bump measured 36cm which was normal too, although I don’t put much weight to this measurement (which was wildly inaccurate to predict Maia’s size), especially now that I’ve got scan estimates for his size as well. The midwife was a different one again. I literally could not name one midwife at my hospital and I doubt I’d recognise any of the ones I’ve met in these brief appointments… So going to the hospital as opposed to the community midwife for my antenatal care (like I did with Maia) didn’t make it any more likely that on the big day I’d get a midwife who I actually know… Oh well. If all goes well the midwife doesn’t need to get very involved anyway. There was no talk of the birth plan although that chat was supposed to happen at this appointment but in fairness, I know what my wish list for the birth is and didn’t have questions. I only asked her to print out a template for me since we don’t have physical maternity notes anymore and I haven’t got a printer at home. I’ll share my birth plan with you when I’ve got it in writing. It really is just a wish list, but this time I’ll make sure my husband makes the midwives read my note and respect my wishes this time around.
At this point every pregnancy symptom is a symptom of approaching labour – because it is approaching. I’m trying not to think about it too much, but when I feel particularly uncomfortable I’m naturally thinking “I hope it’s rather two than four more weeks…”. The good news is that I don’t have to do much because I’m on maternity leave and I have either my husband or the nanny helping with Maia. Honestly, I don’t feel capable of much anymore (hugely frustrating to feel so useless). I don’t know how I was able to work up until 37-weeks last time, but I guess life was different then… I could spend my free time resting and enjoying the pregnancy rather than running after a toddler! Anyway, I’m lucky that I’ve been well. Carrying around the baby and the extra weight is hard work and uncomfortable but everything has progressed normally. So even though this list of symptoms below might sound a bit depressing, overall I still feel like I’m doing ok!
Pregnancy symptoms at 37-weeks
- Tired and sleepy most of the time, even when I’ve slept ok-ish
- Difficult to sleep through the night because I’m either feeling restless/anxious (although not sure about what), uncomfortable, need a wee, need a drink etc etc
- No stretch marks yet (please stay away 🙏) but I struggle with very dry skin, which could be caused by the cold winter weather too though
- Luckily no swelling either. All soft squish is honest baby fat rather than water retention (I think anyway)
- I think I can see a faint linea negra starting to appear! I didn’t get one last time apart from the very lower part of my tummy (which I only discovered months later for the obvious reason, haha)
- Hair and nails are amazing! And the extra pounds make me look younger – yasss! Maybe this is the “pregnancy glow” for me
- Paranormal sensitivity to smells continues. I have to change Maia’s nappy after every wee because I can’t stand the smell (never even noticed baby wee smell before!).
- Bit of nausea and some food aversions such as eggs – ewww can’t have eggs in any form. I get full very quickly and can’t lean forward at all without throwing up a bit in my mouth (gross). I think this is all due to the fact that the baby, however low he’s dropped now, simply takes so much space inside me now. No cravings whatsoever but I keep nibbling on Christmas sweets since they are within reach and because I feel often hungry (because can’t eat much in one go)
- No idea about my weight gain, have not weighed myself once in this pregnancy (ran out of battery in my scales and never replaced them)
- Boobs are huge and leak colostrum, a bit sensitive too (think mumsy rather than sexy)
- Some lower back pain if I’ve walked a lot but because of Braxton Hicks contractions (yep still there and bloody annoying) I avoid walking. Yoga has helped a lot with general stiffness and aches
- New in! The “lightning crotch” which I mentioned above. When the baby’s head engaged about a week ago I started getting shooting pains in my crotch that make me waddle
All in all, business as usual in late pregnancy!
Above is a little comparison picture of my first and second baby bump. There’s two weeks difference in the pregnancy weeks but the (estimated) sizes of the babies are about the same. On the left I was 39-weeks with Maia sand went into labour that day. She was born weighing 2.55kg. On the right I’m about 37-weeks and the boy’s weight is approximately 2.675kg based on the last growth scan. I think the bumps look the same! So much for the old wives tales of a girl/boy bump – myth busted! I would say though that in my second pregnancy the bump popped out a lot earlier which makes sense considering everything had already stretched out once before, and not long ago.
Now I’m just trying to relax and enjoy family time and to take lots of pictures of the baby bump before it’s gone! We didn’t stay up to welcome the new year (did I mention I’ve been tired?) but today we’re driving to the Essex countryside for a spontaneous night away to mark the beginning of the new decade. We are taking Maia with us, but planning to have dinner at the hotel restaurant after her bedtime to enjoy some time as a couple (hint: baby monitor!!). ❤️
Happy 2020 all!
xoxoxo,
Sini